TITLE: Against the Wind

CHAPTER/TITLE: Chapter Six/Instincts

RATING: T (language and mature content)

A/N: Part Two and the thrilling conclusion to why the heck Derek Morgan jumped on Emily Prentiss.

Reviews are the cinnamon to my roll.

**PRESENT**

Emily's ears and mind did not process the gunshot until Morgan was already on top of her. Derek had hardly noticed the dark figure across the street until that moment. His eyes were fixed on something a little more desirable. As Prentiss bent down to retrieve her belongings, his gentleman instincts kicked in and he almost proceeded in leaning down and helping the agitated agent. Instead, the corner of his eye caught something. It was something that had perked his interest countless times before, but never that he could remember had it done so with Emily. His gaze drifted from her dropped purse to her carefully arched backside. The tight cut of Emily's charcoal pencil skirt shaped her curves quite favorably and Derek found himself not being able to help himself. Other male instincts were slowly creeping in, threatening to overtake his gentleman ones. Within seconds, Morgan realized exactly what he was doing and reluctantly twisted his head away. This was something he did over other girls, not his teammate. He was not attracted to her that way. Of course, he noticed from the first day he laid eyes on her that she was stunning and if she had been a stranger in a bar or walking down the street, there might had been a chance for something to happen. This was different. This was his coworker. The team was more like a family than anyone else would ever know or understand and Morgan and Prentiss fought and loved like brother and sister. Nothing more. No way. Still, Derek couldn't deny where his eyes and mind had gone, and what his heart was screaming.

It was in that sudden glance that Derek caught the shadowed figure in the alleyway. He could have easily been a drug dealer waiting for a customer, a homeless man looking for a place to sleep that night, or a lost and intoxicated bar hopper. Nonetheless, Derek felt a dark cloud envelope his gut and immediately flashed on his agent instincts. As he did so, Derek saw the silhouette shift positions and a long object of some sort became revealed. It wasn't until a car sped by, its lights illuminating the weapon that Morgan dove on top of his partner. He had barely caught her when the shot pierced the night. The glass of the telephone booth behind them shattered over their heads and Morgan and Prentiss did not require verbal communication to know what they were doing next.

The two agents drew their guns and swiftly crawled behind a parked BMW.

"FBI!" Morgan shouted, peering over the hood of the car, his weapon already aimed at the stranger. "Drop your weapon, now!"

When there was no response, Derek spoke the warning yet again.

"Was that a shotgun?" Emily questioned in a hushed voice, irritated and surprised as she scrambled to prepare herself.

"This better not be one of those revenge seeking women," Derek still managed to tease during such a tense and threatening time.

Emily glared at her teammate who was far too busy peaking around the car to notice her hardened gaze. After a second, she couldn't help but let the corners of her lips perk into a grin at his cool attitude and humor.

Again, the miniature explosions echoed through the once calm street. More shards of glass showered over the agents' heads as they ducked under cover. Morgan was the first to bring himself off the ground. Aiming and shooting within less than a second at the unknown attacker. He fired three shots before realizing his target had long since disappeared. He stared down the dark alley, waiting, expecting some form of movement to draw his aim. When there was nothing, Derek bolted across the street and to the alleyway. Peering behind the wall, he stepped inside the narrow walkway, ready to fire at anything that moved. He noted Emily's presence close behind and motioned a silent signal to her. He stepped forward and was met with a tall brick wall. Scanning the area, Derek quickly discovered a hanging fire escape. Without a word, he leapt up and began to climb as Prentiss kept her weapon drawn to cover him. Once he was at the top, she followed.

Morgan failed to notice as his partner struggled to keep up or that she was only climbing with on arm. He also failed to notice the SUV parked at the bottom of the building he was currently climbing. He did not see the man descend the steps from the rooftop or enter said vehicle. What he did hear, was the squeal of the tires from below just as he reached the roof. Morgan hurried to the side of the rooftop and leaned over, watching the vehicle speed away. He briefly entertained the idea of making a shot from the roof but then quickly rejected the impossible maneuver. Meticulously surveying the area, Derek continued to keep his gun at the ready until satisfied that the shooter was long gone and the bolting vehicle was not just a coincidence. He holstered his weapon and then looked over at his partner for the first time since the attack.

Gun ready in one hand, Emily was staring down and wincing at her other as she finally reached the roof. There, horrifically protruding for her palm rested a wide and jagged piece of glass. Satin stained her hand and dripped between her unmoving fingers. Morgan jogged to meet her and help her up. He took her injured hand in his and examined the wound as Emily sighed, her sign that she thought she was fine and didn't need help. As their fingers grazed each other, there was a sharp electric flash that pulsed through the two agents. Neither showed it in their expressions and neither admitted it to themselves. Yet they could not ignore the unnatural disturbance and how it was not the first of such incidents. They locked eyes for a moment until Prentiss suddenly looked down at her wound in avoidance of the potential flaring moment. Her brow furrowed and it was then that she remembered her purse and its contents still sprawled out on the ground. Any passionate notions disappeared swiftly from her thoughts and she huffed, putting her free hand against her hip.

"Like I said," Emily grumbled, "our jobs really suck sometimes."